xxx
"No, not like this," Kakashi scolded as he placed Sakura's arms as he saw fit.
Sakura sighed moodily, looking at the arrows that were embedded in a tree, straight into the red circle that Kakashi had drawn on it. Those were his arrows. Hers lied somewhere in the grass, far from the one tree he had marked in the dense forest. Archery was not as easy as she had expected.
The sun was laying low in the sky, but the heat was still more than enough to make her skin moist with a thin layer of sweat.
"Why did I even ask you to teach me how to use a bow?" Sakura mumbled, relaxed and quiet. Kakashi stood close behind her, chest against her back, arms over hers while he aimed the bow for her, causing her back to arch into him slightly.
"Because you thought you could use a wider set of skills," Kakashi whispered, entirely focused on aiming the next shot, chin brushing against the top of her head.
"Maybe I've changed my mind," Sakura said as he pulled the arrow back, taking a deep breath as he guided her hand.
For once, he had foregone his heavy sweater and even his vest. His bare arms were pressed against Sakura's, the sweat on them letting her know he was overheating just as she was.
Breathe in while you aim…
He let the arrow fly and she watched it zoom through between the trees.
Breathe out when you let the arrow fly.
Her eyes fluttered when a few strands of her hair flew in her eyes, blown there by his breath. A dull thud in the wood nearby signaled that the arrow landed where Kakashi had meant for it to.
Not even sparing a glance at the arrow to make sure it had hit its mark, Sakura tilted her head back, looking up at him as he lowered their arms. His gray eye was still focused on the arrow, his expression severe as if he had not done well enough, but he knew Sakura trusted completely that he only refused to overestimate himself. Confidence could doom you so easily.
Then, Kakashi looked down at her, eye already softer as he watched her. Sakura remained still as their eyes locked together for a few seconds. He could feel heart beat against her chest, her breathing slow and deep. Kakashi didn't move, waiting for her to say what she wanted to tell.
"You're incredible, Kakashi," Sakura whispered, brushing her thumb against his where their hands rested on her stomach.
Waiting for him to reply, to break the silence.
"Kakashi-sensei," Kakashi scolded again."Don't forget this. Now keep practicing."
xxx
Chapter Four: Show Me You and Me
…
"We can't keep this up," Sakura said from where they hid in the thick flora. Their suspect had taken a turn towards the mountains of Iwa, where the terrain would soon be open and empty. "He might have spotted us already, for all we know."
"It does feel like he's taking a detour," Shokubai added, bent awkwardly to cover his tall self appropriately. "His route is different than it was before the sun set."
"That leaves us with a single option," Kakashi said, nodding. "Confrontation."
Kakashi stood and walked in plain sight. Sakura, Shokubai and Kunan followed wordlessly. They followed their suspect in silence for a while more, into open terrain, until he turned towards them. The border of Iwa was not far, the mountains that lined it already towering in the horizon. Conducting a mission into foreign territory was frowned upon and would possibly lead to repercussions from Iwa; all of it was unlikely, though, as Iwa was now on good terms with Konoha.
"I'm not looking for trouble," the suspect called. Tall, brown-haired. Small build. Alone, he would pose little threat. "Who are you?"
Kakashi waved his hands innocently as they approached. "Dont be so wary, fellow traveler. We're not thieves."
The suspect's stance shifted just barely, readying for a quick reaction if necessary. "I just want to be on my way."
"You see," Kakashi started, rubbing his chin, "it appears you are in Fire territory and I have a hunch you're a foreigner. My friends and I," Kakashi said, gesturing to his squad, "are border patrols under Konoha's jurisdiction. I'm afraid I have to demand you state your business and provide proper identification."
The brown-haired man gave up the defenseless pretense, moving into an offensive stance. "I am returning home to Iwa. I was ordered to fulfill a mission in Ame under the Tsuchikage's orders. I'm afraid the details are confidential."
"I understand." Kakashi's hand reached for his kunai, ready to counter. "Show us your proof of your allegiance and we'll let you be on your way. Surely you have the headband with your village's insignia?"
Sakura watched the suspect's feet, noticing immediately when they gave away he would run. She kicked the ground, shattering the ground under his feet when he broke into a sprint. He stumbled and fell, his ankle caught between two mounds of earth, but was quick to get back to his feet and run. Kakashi gave chase and they all followed, Sakura remaining last line.
"Capture him alive!" Kakashi barked.
The enemy was fast, but it didn't take him long to know he wouldn't find an escape route in empty terrain. He spun around, directing a strong gust of wind their way that slowed them down momentarily. Kunan pressed forward, both his tanto ready. The enemy dodged the best he could, losing terrain. Shokubai and Kakashi closed in from the sides and Sakura secured the back.
Before all three of them could subdue the enemy, he reached into his pocket, retrieving something all of them of them hoped to never have to use.
"Stop!" Sakura shouted, immediately forming the hand seals to summon a wall between her teammates and the enemy.
He'd already activated the explosive, though, and Sakura had too little time to form a proper defense. The three sides her teammates were secured; hers wasn't. An imbalance in her technique that would cost her. Elemental jutsu was never her forte. Sakura didn't hear the explosion. She'd braced herself the best she could, her reflexes alone enough to coat her body in a thin shield of chakra before the shockwave and flames hit her. The wind was knocked out of her and she was sent flying back, the impact too strong for her chakra to absorb.
Before she landed, she could see the wall had fallen apart around the enemy, but had eaten most of the blow. All three of them came running for her.
"I'm fine," Sakura called, forcing herself into a sitting position. Luck really wasn't on her side in this country, it seemed. "Just minor injuries."
"Minor?" Shokubai screeched in disbelief.
Sakura frowned, then looked at her arms. "Oh. This isn't gonna be fun."
The adrenaline in her system was blocking most of the pain, still. Sakura winced as she inspected the burns varying from second to third degree. From the feel of it, her forearm had also fractured.
Kakashi reached for his canteen, pouring the cold water over her arms. Sakura yelped in pain but didn't try to move. There was the pain. Sakura grit her teeth against it. The pain from a severely burned small area could be near crippling. Most of your forearms - and parts of your legs, from the pain there, too - wasn't quite small.
"Need a hospital," Sakura ground out.
"I thought you were a hospital," Shokubai teased, obviously trying to distract her from the pain. "What happened to that?"
"Does it - " Sakura grunted, forcing her mind to push down the pain when Kakashi applied her antibiotic cream to her burns. "Does it look like I carry a fucking sterile operating room in my pocket?"
At this, Kakashi met her eyes, frowning. "How bad?"
Sakura inspected her arms again, all too used to the process of analyzing her own wounds as if they weren't hers. "I need to treat this right away. The tissue will go into necrosis if I don't act soon. The hospital in Ame is closer. I can use their equipment."
Kakashi nodded and lifted his forehead protector to free his sharingan. "Look at me. It'll make the trip easier."
"No, I need to be conscious," Sakura lied, shutting her eyes. "Just hurry."
The pain was bringing tears to her eyes already and she certainly didn't fancy an hour-long trek back to the city with it. It was better than the alternative, though. Kakashi gathered her in her arms and ran towards Ame.
"Remember when you were high off your horse on pain meds?" Sakura chuckled, arms jerking from the pain. "After the war?"
"I do," Kakashi said, throwing a glance to Kunan.
Great, she sounded crazy. "I think - I think this is pretty fucking close to that," Sakura laughed. Pain did strange things to the body.
Kakashi chuckled. "Happy thoughts, Sakura."
"Happy thoughts, my ass," Sakura grumbled. She arched her back into Kakashi's arms when the pain flared up again, tearing a long, pained moan from her. "I'm gonna be too fucking delusional in a few minutes to even remember what a happy thought is!"
"Almost there," Kakashi comforted. "Just relax."
...xxx...xxx...xxx…
"You're the worst assistant I've ever had," Sakura mumbled, the words muffled by the bandages she was biting into. The shot she had given herself did help with the pain, but there was only so much to be done that wouldn't cloud her mind.
"I'm not a medic," Kakashi ground out, pinning her leg to the table the best he could. Scrubs were ugly on him.
There was something eerily fascinating about peeling skin off one's own thigh. Thankfully, she was unable to feel it thanks to the local anesthetic, but the sight alone was enough to make her heart race and bile rise into her throat. Skin transplants on someone else wouldn't make her break a sweat, yet she was sweating now. Her brain knew this was her body she was peeling the skin from. It panicked.
"All good, all good," Sakura whispered, comforting herself more than Kakashi. "I'm not in danger."
She'd already cleaned up her arms. The fracture would take a few weeks to solidify again. The burns would last longer, perhaps. Skin grafts were likely to be necessary again in the future. She was only doing the bare minimum to protect the inner layers of her skin.
Kakashi turned his head to the side, looking green.
"Don't puke," Sakura warned. "You'll give me an infection."
"Next time you play assistant," Kakashi ground out, watching in disgust as she meshed the skin of her thigh together with the skin of her arm. "Why couldn't you pick one of the doctors here?"
"You know how I'm your assigned medic because no one else can wrestle you into submission?" Sakura asked, green palms hovering over her arms for the last part.
"What about it?"
"Well, they haven't found my designated medic yet," Sakura chuckled. "So pay back time."
Kakashi didn't reply. He stood still, averting his eyes from eye in order to keep the contents of his stomach from coming back up.
"I'm done," Sakura finally said. "Give me that cloth over there, wet."
Kakashi did as asked. He was still a tad too pale and Sakura couldn't help but smile. Cleaning off the orange antiseptic oil from her body took a while more, but Kakashi was patient. With her burns bandaged up, the sight was less gruesome.
"Take me home now," Sakura said, lacing her arms around his neck, a smug grin on her lips. "Senpai."
...xxx...xxx...xxx…
When Sakura woke up again, she recognized the inn at Ame's border, where they had taken the second train on their way there. The squad had probably stopped here to rest after yesterday's rushed traveling. Already when they had confronted their enemy, it had been late. After going back to Ame, however long her surgery took and then running all the way here, it was no wonder they'd had to stop for a short break.
"You're awake?"
Sakura turned her head to face Kakashi, remaining on her back since moving her arms was too painful. "Yeah."
The sun was rising outside, enough light filtering through the window for them to see each other clearly.
"How do you feel?" Kakashi asked, brushing his fingers against her cheek.
"Not quite as high," Sakura chuckled. "It's a good sign."
Kakashi nodded, relief visibly washing over him. Sakura looked back up at the ceiling.
"Senpai, it's too hot," Sakura said, turning back to him. "Do you mind?..."
No directions were needed. Kakashi sat on his knees and carefully pulled Sakura's sweater over her head, leaving her torso bare to his view. He crawled to the end of the bed, straddling her legs to pull her pants down her hips, letting Sakura do the job of kicking them to the floor. Slowly, he inched closer, until his knees sat on each side of her thighs.
Sakura looked up at him through barely shy eyes, anticipating. Kakashi leaned down, laying his palms on the sides of her head. Sakura swallowed, cheeks flushed already.
"We have a moment before we're due to get back on the road," Kakashi whispered, looking straight into her eyes. In the faint light of dawn, the sharingan appeared to glow.
Sakura nodded, feeling helplessly at his mercy trapped under him without the use of her arms. Kakashi lowered himself ever so slowly, his lips stopping just shy of Sakura's, leaving her to close the distance between them. Kakashi didn't hesitate anymore, losing little time to lower his mouth to her neck. One of his hands ran up her hip to her breast, gently kneading it. Sakura gasped, arching into Kakashi. It was over, they both knew.
Kakashi no longer bothered to hold back; they had lost enough time already. His lips were on her breast already, then down leaving a trail of fluttery kisses all the way to her thighs. Sakura's heart was racing already, her cheeks hot and her breath short. A decade of anticipation made every inch of her skin hypersensitive; a decade of fantasies of this moment meant that every time she dared to hope it would truly happen, she was already lost in the haze of desire.
And Kakashi knew it. Eyes locked with hers, he gave her sex a tentative lick. Sakura groaned, grabbing fistsfuls of his hair to push his head down. She felt Kakashi chuckle and scoffed. He'd teased enough already. He didn't toy with her anymore, instead complying to her demand dutifully.
When Sakura's moans increased in volume, Kakashi distanced himself from her, crawling back up her body. "Not so loud," he whispered."The walls are thin."
"I don't give a damn," Sakura whimpered, locking her legs around his hips. His erection pressed to her core and Sakura rolled her hips into his, tearing moans from both hers and Kakashi's throats. "Don't stop, please, Kakashi-senpai."
Kakashi's eyes locked with her again. Sakura could see the ghost of doubt in them, but Kakashi, too, stopped giving a damn long enough to pull his shaft free of his pants and thrust into her. Groaning, Sakura wrapped her arms around Kakashi, pulling close as he exhaled sharply into her neck.
"Are you - "
"Just fuck me," Sakura growled, capturing his mouth for another hungry kiss.
Kakashi moaned into her mouth, needing no more encouragement to settle in a fast and unforgiving rhythm that left them both panting. Sakura grit her teeth when the pain in her arms flared up again, but was determined to ignore it. Kakashi didn't notice, too lost in pleasure to pay attention to small details now. Sakura cupped his cheeks, smiling when the tips of his hair tickled her cheeks. He was staring at her, cheeks red, mouth agape, eyes reflecting his lust.
"I want to feel you come," she whispered, meeting his thrusts with her own.
Kakashi groaned and buried his face in her neck, sinking as deep into as he could. Sakura moaned, arching into him.
"Come for me first," Kakashi rasped in her ear, reaching between them to rub circles on her clit. "Come for me, Sakura."
Sakura's eyes fluttered close, the pleasure coursing through her nerves enough to overcome the pain in her arms with the help of a few endorphins. It wasn't long before she shuddered under him, crying out her orgasm. Kakashi followed quickly, pressing their body tight together as he thrusted into her one last time, his hips jerking involuntarily as he came.
Sakura pressed her lips to his ear, sighing. "Kakashi…"
Why today had been different, Sakura would never know. They'd already found each other in such situations - some leading to inappropriate moments, as Kakashi liked to call them, but never had he lost himself in lust with her. It didn't matter what Sakura had said then, her encouragements, her flirting, he would always refuse.
Kakashi pulled away after a moment, flopping down on his back next to her. Sakura chanced a glance his way, knowing they'd both come down from the high by now. Kakashi met her gaze, his eyes unsure. Sakura could already imagine all the excuses he would be making to say he shouldn't have done this either.
"I'm not the only one who needed to get laid, hm?" Sakura teased, easing the tension before it could appear. "How long has it been?"
Kakashi chuckled, keeping his answer to himself.
"You know," Sakura said, inching closer to him. Silence would only let him mull over his guilt. "Doctors are pretty good at treating that sort of, ah, frustration."
Sakura ran her fingers down his abdomen, stopping when the line of coarse hair that ran down his belly became denser. She could feel his muscles flutter under his skin, sensitive to her touch.
"I'm your personal medic," Sakura reminded, smiling wickedly when Kakashi's eyes slid shut. "I can help if you just ask me."
Kakashi rolled onto his side, pressing a few hot kisses to Sakura's neck. "What was that you were saying in Ame? I'm your medic until someone else wrestles you into submission?"
Kakashi's fingers ghosted over her chest, teasing her hardened nipples. "Something like that, yeah," she breathed out.
"Sounds like I've got work to do," he rasped into her neck. "You're frustrated so often."
Blood rushed to Sakura's cheeks, the knowledge of how he was aware of such a thing one of the most embarrassing components of her relationship with Kakashi. His inhuman nose.
A knock on the door startled them both. Kakashi turned towards it. "What is it?"
"It's time to go, Captain," Kunan called from the other side. "Is she awake?"
Kakashi glanced at Sakura, mischievous. "Not yet. I'll wake her. Give us a minute."
They listened Kunan's footsteps go away in silence, biting their lips. When Kunan was out of earshot, Kakashi stood and retrieved Sakura's clothing, helping her back into it. Sakura watched Kakashi dress himself, stopping him only when he tried to roll his mask up over his chin.
"Wait." Sakura hopped off the bed, leaning her elbows on Kakashi's shoulders. Grinning, she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before he covered his skin with the cloth. Though his face was mostly hard lines, he still managed to keep a hint of a bad boy look. "You're so disgustingly handsome. It's not fair. You look like you should be in a Playboy magazine. So annoying."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Kakashi muttered, twisting the doorknob.
Sakura scoffed and followed him outside where Kunan and Shokubai waited for them. Another argument for another time.
"Somebody seems to be in better spirits," Shokubai said, exhaustion still evident in his voice. The bags under his eyes were a pretty dead giveaway, too.
"I've been high off pain meds for a whole day," Sakura chuckled. "I'd better be."
"I need some of that," Shokubai grumbled, stretching his neck.
Kunan stepped in front of Sakura, kneeling to allow her to climb on his back. She did so without complaint, swallowing the guilt soundlessly. Twice already, she'd endangered herself while they were just fine. If Sakura hadn't known she'd just had the last of her painkillers, she might have insisted on being fine. In just a few hours, though, the pain would return with a vengeance.
...xxx...xxx...xxx…
Just as Sakura had predicted, they weren't a quarter of the way to Konoha when the drugs wore off. The squad was running at a grueling pace, she knew, but she still wished they could run faster. Gritting her teeth, Sakura leaned her chin over Kunan's shoulder, gripping them tighter when a wave of nausea hit her. Hoping to comfort herself, Sakura watched the trees appear and disappear at their sides, too quick for her to count them. They were in Fire Country. Home. They knew the forest and it knew them.
"You're sweating," Kunan said, craning his neck to look at her. "Are you alright?"
Sakura nodded, panting with the effort it took to not cry out it pain when a sharper pain shot through her arms.
"When I was little," Kunan started, looking ahead. "I would always chase the squirrels into the trees. My mother would always scold me and she said, 'You'll see, Ku-kun, one day, they'll have their payback.' She was right, too. Not a month later, I was chasing them again and I swear they led me right into a trap. On a branch, they'd left the shells of the nuts they ate. I slipped and broke my shin."
Sakura chuckled, the image of a child Kunan something she couldn't quite muster, but it was funny all the same.
"I was promoted to chuunin when I was seventeen." Shokubai laughed at himself, shaking his head. "Late bloomer I was. My first B-rank was a total failure. We were hiding after having been run into the ground by an enemy. I sneezed and they found us."
Sakura knew what they were doing. It wasn't an unusual practice among new teams, especially in moments of injury. By sharing tidbits of their life, they would distract the wounded. It was always a nice bonding experience, though Sakura wished they'd also open up in moments where the pain wasn't making her near delirious.
"You asked why I joined ANBU," Kunan said, tensing under her. "My team was killed, I told you."
At their side, Sakura could see Kakashi frowning under his mask.
"They had just been promoted to chuunin. One my students fought one of yours, I believe." Sakura contained her shock; Kunan had been a sensei like her until a few weeks ago. "It was a simple mission, really. Retrieve a stolen property and return it to its owner. Barely C-ranked. Turns out we had to deal with more than a single petty thief, but rather a whole group of trained ninjas. There was nothing I could do for them; I saved myself."
Sakura tightened her jaw, her teeth protesting against the pressure. Business, Jishin had called this. It was true. A client had paid a generous enough price to have ninja do his dirty business at the risk of their own lives. Not every ninja had the honor of dying in a crucial mission. Not every ninja had the luck of using their power to save lives.
"I slaughtered them," Kunan said, voice shaking with rage he barely contained. Around her thighs, his grip tightened painfully. "It almost cost all of our lives - it cost Ichigo's, this is why you're here - but it was worth every drop of blood I spilled. ANBU is the only place you get to spill your blood for the sheer pleasure of it - spill the blood of others for the same - "
"Kunan," Kakashi interrupted. "That's enough. That information is classified."
"You don't think she deserves to know?" Kunan countered. "She follows you here like a puppy because she can see what everyone in ANBU is doing - and she won't let you. Have the guts to - "
"Kunan!" This time it was Shokubai who shouted. "This isn't our business."
"Is it not?" Kunan sneered, wrinkling his nose. "Such compassion for your fellow shinobi." Then, he turned to Kakashi, his voice growing more venomous. "For your student."
Kakashi fumed at their side, but he didn't answer.
"It's so much easier to pretend she doesn't see it," Kunan spat, growing more careless. Sakura grit her teeth when she bumped into him too hard as he landed, only intensifying the pain in her arms. "That it won't break her way it breaks all of us. When you finally get what you want - "
"That's enough!" Kakashi barked, startling Sakura. "One more word and - "
"And what?" Kunan challenged.
"Have you lost your fucking minds?" Shokubai shouted, throwing one of his arms up. "Do I really need to remind you what's going on here?"
Kunan scoffed, readjusting his hold on Sakura. Kakashi sped up to settle a distance ahead of them. Sakura pressed her face in the back of Kunan's neck, biting back tears. So much for team bonding.
"You need to know," Kunan whispered, so only she could hear.
"I'm not an idiot," Sakura muttered in his back. "I'm not blind."
"Then don't do this," Kunan said, twisting his neck to try and look at her face. "Don't let him take you down with him. Not even Hatake Kakashi is worth that."
Shokubai left their side to join Kakashi, obviously displeased with their hushed conversation. Sakura couldn't bring herself to care.
"I can decide for myself," Sakura defended, pressing her cheek against Kunan's back to watch the trees pass by again.
"Don't come crying to me when you realize how foolish you're being then," Kunan spat, increasing his pace to follow the others.
If it went that far, Sakura would never go cry into somebody's shoulder. There would be no shoulders left to cry into then.
...xxx...xxx...xxx...